Excision of mole experience?

[Michelle]

Jul 17, 2021 13:10:11 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Jul 17, 2021 12:20:55 GMT -5 winecat said:

I understand.  I had the same fear.  It took much longer for the biopsy of that mole to come back compared to others I had done so I knew this was different.  I knew it was a real possibility and that did not help my medical anxiety!  I think that's why they took such a large excision.  They wanted to be sure that they got clean margins.  If it is a melanoma, now is the time to figure that out because it is so treatable.  Big hugs....  

you understand my medical anxiety really well and I appreciate it.  The dentist is the only one I have true ongoing issues with, but it amps up when it comes to results and waiting / csncer.

If you are getting checked regularly and it is small, please feel reassured that even if it would be discovered to be melanoma it is likely in situ as well - but chances are it isn’t even that. I hope none of my sharing caused you more anxiety and if it did, I apologize!!

[NewOrleans]

Jul 18, 2021 19:52:42 GMT -5 Michelle said:

Jul 17, 2021 13:10:11 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

you understand my medical anxiety really well and I appreciate it.  The dentist is the only one I have true ongoing issues with, but it amps up when it comes to results and waiting / csncer.

If you are getting checked regularly and it is small, please feel reassured that even if it would be discovered to be melanoma it is likely in situ as well - but chances are it isn’t even that. I hope none of my sharing caused you more anxiety and if it did, I apologize!!

No, not at all! I am not worried about the procedure and just wanted to know what people had experienced with it.  Waiting for anything related to major health screening is a massive source of anxiety for me.  Several years ago I had a painful spot in my gut.  2 ultrasounds turned up clear and then one night it was protruding and painful.  I had to wait til the next day for urgent care, who then prescribed a CT with contract that is couldn’t schedule until the weekend ended, and then had to wait a few days for the CT, and then a few days for the results.  The dr took my blood pressure at the start of the “results” appointment and I was like 160 / 100 because I 💯 believed they were going to say I had colon cancer.  (Yeah, not colon cancer.). They were worried I was on the verge of a stroke right then and I didn’t care about my BP— I was concerned about my results and they didn’t care about the CT results! I am always dx’ing myself with cancer.  I’ve lost a lot of people to it and witnessed tremendous suffering so I’m sure that’s where it comes from.  Thank you for sharing your experience and may you stay healthy!

[wildrice]

I've had 5 moles removed in the last 3ish years. They all were no big deal, honestly. One was kind of under my arm and was irritating because of the way it pulled, but all the others never hurt much at all. I do have small scars from them but nothing super notable. One of the scars (on the back of my neck) hurt at first but I honestly completely forgot about it until just the other day when my H asked me where it came from when he was putting sunblock on my back. I was like "oh yeah, I had a mole removed!". So it doesn't bother me anymore.

I would not bother with a plastic surgeon unless it was somewhere really prominent, honestly, though your opinion may vary. I figure by this point I have enough cellulite and spider veins and other imperfections (not to mention like 100 moles) that a couple of small scars aren't going to spoil my perfect body, lol. I would probably feel differently if it was on my face, though.

I understand the medical anxiety too. I am surprised they can't get you in for 2 months. Do they have anyone else in their practice that might be able to get you in sooner?

[NewOrleans]

Jul 18, 2021 20:09:53 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I've had 5 moles removed in the last 3ish years. They all were no big

I understand the medical anxiety too. I am surprised they can't get you in for 2 months. Do they have anyone else in their practice that might be able to get you in sooner?

They are a large practice with a few locations so I’m going to call tomorrow and see if one of the other locations has a sooner opening!